Beacon Triggered Processes

• US 20160092943A1
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Vigier, Benjamin, Fugman, Corey G., Krsmanovic, Filip, Su, Yingfeng
• Granted Patent: US 10,296,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Techniques and systems for beacon triggered processes are disclosed. A described technique includes causing a beacon device to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within the vicinity of an establishment; detecting a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message; retrieving a transaction record based on a user or mobile device identifier in the first message; generating and transmitting a second message based on the transaction record to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment; the second message being configured to provide notification of an arrival of the user and dispatch an employee to meet the user and handle the transaction; and generating and transmitting a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction at the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a beacon device to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within the vicinity of an establishment;

detecting a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

retrieving a transaction record based on the user or mobile device identifier;

generating a second message based on the transaction record to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment;

transmitting the second message to a notification device that is within the vicinity of the establishment, wherein the second message is configured to (i) provide notification of an arrival of the user of the mobile device and (ii) dispatch an employee of the establishment to meet the user and handle the transaction at the establishment;

generating a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record at the mobile device; and

transmitting the third message to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

assigning the employee to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record; and

retrieving an image of the employee based on an employee identifier that corresponds to the employee,

wherein the third message comprises at least a portion of the image.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating barcode data that corresponds to the transaction record,

wherein the third message comprises the barcode data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third message comprises customer instructions for completing the transaction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the third message comprises status information associated with the transaction record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record comprises a product identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the product identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second message comprises employee instructions for completing the transaction, the employee instructions comprising instructions for obtaining a product corresponding to the product identifier, providing the product to the user, or both.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record comprises appointment information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record comprises a service identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the service identifier.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device, a beacon message from a beacon device, the beacon device being within the vicinity of an establishment;

generating a first message in response to receiving the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

transmitting, from the mobile device, the first message to a server computer outside the vicinity of the establishment, wherein the first message is configured to cause the establishment to dispatch an employee to prepare for an arrival of a user of the mobile device and handle a transaction associated with the user or mobile device identifier;

receiving, at the mobile device, a second message that is responsive to the first message, the second message comprising information to facilitate a completion of the transaction; and

presenting the information through the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information comprises an image of an employee that is assigned to facilitate the completion of the transaction, and wherein presenting the information comprises displaying at least a portion of the image.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the information comprises barcode data, and wherein presenting the information comprises displaying a barcode based on the barcode data to verify an identity of a user associated with the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the information comprises customer instructions for completing the transaction, and wherein presenting the information comprises displaying the customer instructions.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the beacon message comprises a beacon identifier, and wherein the first message comprises at least a portion of the beacon identifier.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising:

performing a determination of whether there is a pre-existing reason for a visit to the establishment by querying one or more sources on the mobile device, wherein generating the first message is conditional on an outcome of the determination.

16. A system comprising:

a beacon device configured to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within the vicinity of an establishment;

a notification device configured to present one or more notifications; and

a server configured to perform operations comprising;

detecting a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

retrieving a transaction record based on the user or mobile device identifier;

generating a second message based on the transaction record to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment;

transmitting the second message to the notification device, wherein the second message is configured to (i) provide notification of an arrival of the user of the mobile device and (ii) dispatch an employee of the establishment to meet the user and handle the transaction at the establishment;

generating a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record at the mobile device; and

transmitting the third message to the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations comprise:

assigning an employee identifier to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record; and

retrieving an image of an employee corresponding to the employee identifier,

wherein the third message comprises at least a portion of the image.

18. The system of claim 16, comprising:

generating barcode data that corresponds to the transaction record,

wherein the third message comprises the barcode data.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the third message comprises customer instructions for completing the transaction.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the third message comprises status information associated with the transaction record.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction record comprises a product identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the product identifier.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second message comprises employee instructions for completing the transaction, the employee instructions comprising instructions for obtaining a product corresponding to the product identifier, providing the product to the user, or both.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction record comprises appointment information.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction record comprises a service identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the service identifier.

25. A system, comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate with mobile devices; and

processor electronics configured to store applications, including an application, for download to the mobile devices via the network interface,

wherein the application comprises instructions to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising;

receiving a beacon message from a beacon device, the beacon device being within the vicinity of an establishment;

generating a first message in response to receiving the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

transmitting the first message to a server computer outside the vicinity of the establishment, wherein the first message is configured to cause the establishment to dispatch an employee to prepare for an arrival of a user of the mobile device and handle a transaction associated with the user or mobile device identifier;

receiving a second message that is responsive to the first message, the second message comprising information to facilitate a completion of the transaction; and

presenting the information through the mobile device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the information comprises an image of an employee that is assigned to facilitate the completion of the transaction, and wherein presenting the information comprises displaying at least a portion of the image.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the information comprises barcode data, and wherein presenting the information comprises displaying a barcode based on the barcode data to verify an identity of a user associated with the mobile device.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the information comprises customer instructions for completing the transaction, and wherein presenting the information comprises displaying the customer instructions.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the beacon message comprises a beacon identifier, and wherein the first message comprises at least a portion of the beacon identifier.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the operations comprise:

performing a determination of whether there is a pre-existing reason for a visit to the establishment by querying one or more sources on the mobile device, wherein generating the first message is conditional on an outcome of the determination.